Uplift Education Seniors Achieve 100% College Acceptance for Fifth Consecutive Year
Dallas, TX (PRWEB) May 01, 2014 -- For the fifth consecutive year, 100% of graduating seniors at Uplift Education, the largest network of free public charter schools in North Texas, have been accepted to college.
This year, 388 seniors from Uplift's five high schools were accepted to colleges and universities from around the state and nation. The scholars from Uplift North Hills in Irving; Uplift Peak in east Dallas; Uplift Summit in Arlington; Uplift Hampton in south Dallas; Uplift Williams in northwest Dallas also earned $48.7 million in scholarships and grants to date.
Uplift CEO Yasmin Bhatia makes having strong academic and college counseling support a top network priority.
“Our Road to College staff dedicates thousands of hours every year helping our students define their interests, make really hard choices about where to go to college and how to pay for it. It doesn’t stop there, though. Our staff then supports the scholars through college to make sure they are successfully managing the challenges they often face there,” Ms. Bhatia said.
Uplift’s Road to College program places academic and college counselors on each campus to provide academic, financial and emotional support for scholars in grades 6-12 along with INSPIRE counselors who support alumni in college.
Five seniors were named Dell Scholars, and two were named Gates Millennium Scholars. They will receive significant financial aid awards as well as resources and mentoring beyond initial financial assistance to ensure recipients have the support they need to obtain a college degree.
For AB Bustamante, a senior at Uplift Peak, attending a school where everyone is focused on college admissions and readiness, as well as his own dedication and commitment to hard work, has made a significant difference in his future . AB will be the first in his family to graduate from high school and attend college
Even with his commitments as class president, basketball, soccer and cross-country athlete, and community service volunteer, AB also works to help support his mother and younger siblings. In the fall AB will attend the United States Naval Academy, where he plans to study political science, on a $500,000 scholarship.
“The best part about being in the Road to College program is having a dedicated and motivated college counseling team ready to assist me through the entire college process. There is nothing more satisfying and calming than knowing that I have four college counselors willing to set everything aside to help me file my taxes, fill out college applications, revise my essays, etc. Without their unrelenting help, my senior year would have been much more stressful, and I wouldn't have sought the many scholarship opportunities they found for me,” AB explained.
The teachers at Uplift schools throughout the network provide individualized instruction and assistance beyond the classroom through after-school tutoring, Saturday school and extracurricular activities. Because of this individualized approach, scholars have strong academic results making them college-ready and great candidates for college admissions.
On Friday, May 2, the Uplift seniors will cross the stage at Moody Coliseum and announce their college selections during the fourth annual College Signing Day, a fast-moving event modeled after college football’s exultant National Signing Day. Visit uplifteducation.org at 12:20 p.m. on Friday to view the Livestream broadcast.
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About Uplift Education
Uplift Education is a is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization operating a network of 28 tuition-free, college preparatory, public charter schools in Dallas, Fort Worth, Arlington and Irving on 13 campuses. Uplift Education schools provide a rigorous, multidisciplinary curriculum, with an emphasis on college preparation – 100% of graduates are accepted to college. Uplift Education educates 9,600 students, with the majority being low-income and minority students who will be the first in their family to attend college. Uplift schools are public schools -- students are selected by a blind lottery with no information collected on their past academic performance. For more information, visit uplifteducation.org or facebook.com/uplifteducation.
Media Contact:
Mike Terry, Director of Communications
Uplift Education
mterry(at)uplifteducation(dot)org
Direct 469-621-8545
Sara Ortega, Public Relations Coordinator
Uplift Education
sortega(at)uplifteducation(dot)org
Direct 806-786-5006
Sara Ortega, Uplift Education, +1 (469) 621-8498, [email protected]
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